College Composition / Unit 21 CMP 0506 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Tertiary and Reference Works
Captions available
The idea
Reference works such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases and almanacs summarize and condense information, and are sometimes called tertiary sources.
In practice
They provide background and basic facts, helping a researcher see a topic's scope and decide where to turn next.
Where people slip
General reference works are useful starting points but are not strong sources to cite in a research paper.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
Unlocks
- Nothing yet depends on this.
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it · Sources for College Composition